Lionel Richie once opened up during an interview about losing his father and “hero”, sending him into a downward spiral.
With enough hits to play all night long and never run out, Lionel Richie is a hero to music lovers everywhere. The 75-year-old American singer-songwriter will go down in history as one of the all-time greats, and you can be sure of that for one reason—he already has. Songs like Stuck On You, Endless Love, and Hello are downright impossible not to sing along to, and with plenty more incredible tracks under his belt, you’d have to wonder who the man’s own personal hero could be…
Death of Lionel Richie’s father and ‘hero’ plunged him into depression
In 1990, the celebrity began to mourn the passing of his dear father, Lionel Brockman Richie. He was a U.S. Army systems analyst, and he was his son’s “hero”, as Lionel explained during an interview on Lorraine in 2018.
“My father was ill and I went through a very—I won’t say a depression, a massive depression, because, you know, my dad was my hero,” he explained. “I went through that whole period of my life.”
Sadly, Lionel Sr. died at 75. His son had actually been on a music-making hiatus since 1986, but it was the very notion of fatherhood that encouraged him to begin firing out hits again. Four years on from his dad’s death, Lionel pulled himself out of a depression with the help of his children.
“It was something about the birth of my kid,” he remembered. “Miles came along and Nicole was already there,” he said of his two kids at the time, “and I realized I had a group of people that were kind of looking up to me to be the head of the house.”
He spoke of his kids being fully aware he was a musician at the time, “so I thought at that particular point, let’s go back and prove to the kids what I do. And so that was the incentive. I realized, this is what I should be doing.”
Eventually, in 1998, Lionel welcomed his third and youngest child into the world, Sofia Richie.
Lionel Richie believes having kids ‘turned him into’ his dad
Long after the interview with Lorraine in 2018, Lionel sat down for a chat with People magazine in 2022 and had quite the confession.
“My kids turned me into my parents,” he laid it out there, all with a laugh.
“My dad and mom used to always say, ‘One day you’ll get yours,’ and I couldn’t figure out what that meant until I had kids,” he clarified.
“Nicole came to me one day and she said, ‘Dad, why do you think I’m lying?’ I said, ‘Nicole, it’s the same lie I told my mom and dad.'” You live and learn, and if they were asked, it’s hard not to believe any of Lionel’s kids would cite their father as their hero.
If you are affected by any issues raised in the article or would like someone to speak to, please call the Samaritans for free on 116 123. You can also email them at jo@samaritans.org or visit samaritans.org to find your nearest branch in the UK. In the US, please visit Samaritans USA for more information.
You can also contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text 741741 to get in touch with the Crisis Text Line. Americans can now call or text 988 to reach out and speak to a counselor.
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